Trestle or sawhorse



Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES EARL J. COFFED, F DEPEW, NEW YORK.

TRESTLE OR SAWHORSE.

Application filed March 30, 1927. Serial No. 179,646.

This invention relates to improvements in foldable trestles 0r saw horses, such as used by carpenters and other tradesmen, but which may also be conveniently used for supporting benches, tables, platforms and the like.

One of its objects is the provision of a device of this character which can be compactly folded when npt in use or for ship- Other objects of the invention are to pro vide a trestle which isstrong, durable and inexpensive in construction, and which embodies therein novel means for reliably lock- 15 ing and bracing the legs against accidental collapse during the use of thetrestle.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a saw horse or trestle embodying my improve- 20 ments. Figure 2 is an end view thereof. Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional perspective view of one end of the trestle. Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary Vertical longitudinal section taken substantially in the plane 25 of line' l Fig. 2. Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 5-5, Fig. 2. Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the legswinging yoke.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 indicates the platform or rest board of the horse for supporting the scaffolding planks, table or the like, and 11, 11 indicate foldable legs which are disposed at op osite ends of the platform. Each pair of egs is so mounted that it can be swung longitudinally to an un- 40 folded operative position or to a folded position against the platform, and also transversely to extend the legs of a pair to a divergent or bracing position in their unfolded position and to contract them to a substantially parallel positionto occupy a. space substantially equal to thewidth of the platform in the folded position thereof. To this end,. the legs of a pair are attached to a vertically-swinging yoke or frame 12 fulcrumedron transverse pivot pins 13 carried by depending hangers or plates 14 secured to the opposite sides of the platform. The legs are fulcrumed to. this yoke on longitudinal pivot pins 15 by which they may be swung to the divergent or contracted positions shown by full and dotted'lines in Fig. 2. The legs may be reliably held in their divergent operative position by a foldable cross brace consisting of arms 16, 17 pivoted at 18 to the companion legs 11, 11 and to each other at 19. The shorter arm 16 terminates at its outer end in a. hook or keeper 20 with which the free end of the longer arm 17 is adapted to engage in the extended braced position of the legs, shown by full lines in Fig. ;2. Said longer bracearm 17 is preferably made of angle iron and its horizontal flange acts as a stop which is adapted to abut against the upper edge of the hook 20 and thereby prevent it from swinging below its horizontal locked position.

Secured to the underside of the platform substantially centrally thereof and adjacent each leg-carrying yoke 12 is a depending bracket preferably consisting of a pair of transversely-spaced angle-iron plates 21 riveted or otherwise fastened to the plat form. Extending along opposing inner sides of the legs are brace-bars 22, which are connected at one end to the outer sides of the bracket 21 by transverse pivot pins 23, while their opposite ends are attached at 24,- tothe lower ends of the legs. These brace bars are made of spring steel and their piV- ots 23 are disposed eccentric to the corre sponding pivots 13 of the legs 11, so that upon unfolding the legs to the position shown by full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, their brace-bars will be bowed more or less, as indicated, and thereby tend to hold the legs in a rigid divergent position. Arranged centrally between the brace-bars 22 and pivoted at 25 to the bracket 21 below the pivot pins 23 thereof is a vertically-swinging guide bar or rail 26 which is adapted to move with the legs into and out of their folded position. A substantially U-shaped yoke or slide 27 is capable of movement lengthwise of the guide bar 26 during the folding and unfolding of the legs and 1s pivotally connected at 28 to one of the arms 29 of a longitudinally-foldable brace, the other arm 30 of the brace being pivoted at 31 to a bracket 32 fastened to the underside 'of the platform 10. The outwardly-bent per slide-flange 33 adjacent the outer edge of its opening 35 is adapted to interlock, in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The lower flange 34 of the slide has a depending lug 37 which is connected to the pivot pin 19- of the foldable cross brace 16, 17, sothat as the latter is folded upwardly to contract the legs 11 to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the slide will travel upwardly on the guide bar. In the unfoldedv posi tion of the legs 11, the longitudinally-foldable braces 29, 3O springs the upper end of the slide 27 inwardly to reliably interlock its flange 33 with the notch 36 of the guide bar and thereby prevent displacement of the slide on the latter and accidental collapse of the legs, while the horse is in use.

A horizontally-swinging lever or keeper 38 applied to the underside of the platform 10 serves to hold the legs in their collapsed position against said. platform, this keeper being arranged to overhang the opposing ends" of the foldable braces 29, 30 of both pairs of legs.

I claim as my invention 1. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, said legs when unfolded assuming a downwardly-divergent position, a guide bar fulcrumed at each end of the platform between the companion legs, a slide movable lengthwise of sald guide bar, and two sets of foldable braces each having a part thereof connected to said slide, one set of braces holding the legs in their unfolded operative position and the other set holding them in their divergent position.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, said legs when unfolded assuming a downwardly-divergent position, a guide bar fulcrumed at each end of the platform between the companion legs, a slide movable lengthwise of said, gui de-b-ar, a longitudinally foldable brace connected at one end to the platform and at its other end to said slide, and a transversely foldable brace having its ends connected to the legs of a pair, said slide being connected at one end to the transversely foldable brace.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, said legs when unfolded assuming a downwardly-divcrgentposition, a guide bar fulcrumed at each end ofthe platform between the companion legs, a slide movable lengthwise of said guide bar, a longitudinally foldable brace connected at one end to the platform and at its other end to said slide, and 'a transversely foldable brace consisting of pivotally-connected crossed arms attached at their outer ends to the legs of a pair, said slide being connected to the pivot of said crossed arms.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, said legs when unfolded assuming a v downwardly-divergent position, a guide bar; fulcrumed at each end of the platform between the companion legs, a slide movable 75 lengthwise of .said guide bar, two sets of foldable braces each having a. part thereof connected to said slide, one set of braces holding the legs in their unfolded operative position and the other set holding them in their divergent position, and means for holding said slide against movement on its 1slide bar in the unfolded position of the egs.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing both lengthwise and crosswise thereof, said legs when unfolded assuming a downwardly-divergent position, a guide bar 0 fulcrumed at each end of the platform between the companion legs and having a lockmg notch in one'of its edges, a slide movable lengthwise of said guide bar and having a part arranged to engage the locking notch thereof to hold said slide against movement when the legs are unfolded, and two sets of foldable braces each having a part thereof connected to said slide, one set of braces holding the legs in their unfolded position and the other set holding them in their divergent position.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, a pair. of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform 1 5 to swing lengthwise and crosswise thereof, yieldable brace bars extending along the opposing inner sides of companion legs and each pivoted at one end to the platform between the legs and connected at its other end to the respective leg, said brace bars being free to bow lengthwise and tending to urge the legs to their lateral unfolded posi- 131011, and a foldable brace for holding the legs in their unfolded position.

7. A device of the character described, comprising a platform, vertically-swinging yokes mounted at each end of the platform,

a pair of legs carried by each of said yokes and movable therewith to an unfolded oper- 12b ative position or to a folded inoperative position, said legs being fulcrumed on their yokes to swing relatively thereto and transversely of said platform to assume a downwardly-divergent position when the legs are unfolded, bracc bars extending along the opposing sides of companion legs and each pivoted atone end to the platform and connected at itsother end to the respective leg, a guide bar fulcrumed at each end of no the platform between the companion legs, a slide movable lengthwise of said guide bar, a longitudinally foldable brace connected at one end to the platform and at its other end to said slide, and a transversely foldable brace consisting of pivotally-connected, crossed arms attached at their outer ends'to the legs of a pair, said slide being connected to the pivot of said crossed arms.

8. A device of the character described comprising a platform, a pair of foldable legs fulcrumed at each end of the platform to swing lengthwise and-crosswise thereof, yieldable brace bars extending along the opposing inner sides of companion legs, each brace bar being pivoted at one end to the platform substantially centrally thereof and eccentric to the'leg-fulcrums and connected at its other end to' the respective leg, said brace bars being free to bow and tending to urge the legs to their lateral unfolded position, and a foldable brace for holding the legs in their lengthwise unfolded osition. EARL J. C FFED. 

